Morawiecki eyes Meloni’s EU post?

Good morning from Warsaw,

Poland’s former prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, is vying for the leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, a role currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish media reports.

Such a development would strengthen his conservative PiS party’s position on the European right following its defeat to the broad centre-left coalition led by former European Council President Donald Tusk (Civic Platform, EPP) last year.

Reporting from Warsaw, Aleksandra Krzysztoszek has the story.

But politically, this would further weaken Meloni’s EU position following her “isolation” from the talks over the EU top jobs during the summer.

In addition, a Morawiecki-led ECR could also potentially pose more obstacles to political collaboration with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s newly established EU group “Patriots for Europe”.

The relations between the two men were dealt a severe blow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Orbán’s pro-Moscow statements.

A European Commission deadline for Hungary to respond to questions about the easing of entry requirements for Russian and Belarusian nationals expired on Monday. Alexandra Brzozowski has the entire story.

Meanwhile, Cyprus has picked its EU Commissioner candidate but Nicosia’s portfolio remains uncertain in light of the EU executive’s intention to avoid ‘politicising’ policy portfolios. Read here the details.

BERLIN

German warships await orders on crossing Taiwan Strait. Two German warships await orders from Berlin, their commander said, to determine whether next month they will be the first German naval vessels in decades to pass through the Taiwan Strait, drawing a rebuke from Beijing. Read more.

NICOSIA

Cyprus will propose former agriculture minister Costas Kadis as a new European Union commissioner, the government in Nicosia announced on Monday. Read more.

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ROME

Alleged left-wing plot to investigate Meloni’s sister sparks political feud in Italy. Fresh allegations of a left-wing plot to persuade magistrates to investigate Arianna Meloni, sister of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have sparked outrage and led to a heated exchange with former prime minister and Italia Viva leader Matteo Renzi. Read more.

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MADRID

EU’s Borrell warns of a ‘serious crisis’ if Venezuela’s Maduro can’t prove he won the election.Venezuela could soon enter a ‘serious crisis’ if the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, insists on claiming that he won the 28 July national elections, without being able to prove it, by publishing all electoral rolls, EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell warned on Monday. Read more.

BRATISLAVA

Slovakia’s Ice Hockey Federation SZLH has announced its squad for the Olympic qualifiers, confirming the return of players from the Russian KHL after a two-year hiatus caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Read more.

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KYIV

Zelenskyy: Our Kursk attack shows Kremlin red lines are bluff. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday his country’s assault on Russia’s Kursk region showed that Kremlin threats of retaliation were a bluff, and he urged Kyiv’s allies to loosen curbs on using foreign-supplied weapons. Read more.

SOFIA

Bulgaria on the brink of an unprecedented constitutional crisis. The political crisis raging in Bulgaria for over three years is about to turn into a constitutional deadlock after President Rumen Radev refused on Monday to appoint a new caretaker government to hold early parliamentary elections. Read more.

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor]